Child&#39;s crib cover



March 7, 1944. M. SIEGELBAUM CHILD'S CRIB COVER Filed Jan. 20, 1943 IN V EN TOR.

Patented Mar. 7, 1944 3 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CHILDS CRIB COVER 'Martin Siegelbaum, Jamaica, N. Y.

Application January 20, 1943, Serial No. 473,031

5 Claims.

This invention relates to bed coverings for children that sleep in cribs.

One object of the invention is to provide an improved device of the character described to prevent a child from uncovering and exposing itself to cold.

To solve this problem sleeping bags have been proposed, but these are uncomfortable and unduly hinder the movements of a child. In fact they are a source of danger to very young children, as cases are known where babies have smothered in them. A more satisfactory arrangement consisted in clamping the bed covering in place, but this had the drawback that it restricted the child's freedom of movement and oftentimes snapped loose due to a substantial stress exerted by the child.

It is therefore an: object of the invention to furnish a device of the nature set forth having improved means to afiord a floating bed covering for free movement of a child while asleep or awake, and yet to maintain the child covered at all times to. thus avoid the hazard of exposure to cold.

Another object. of the invention is the provision of a device of the. class alluded. to having. improved means whereby lateral protection. or covering is assured in course of. upward and downward movement of the bed covering in response to a childs movements; and also to afford an improved drape effect for the crib, if desired.

Another object of. the invention is to construct a device of the type mentioned having improved means. for slidingly engaging the bed covering with vertical bars or standards. of a crib.

A further object. of the invention is to provide. a novel coordination of a criband a bed covering therefor by simple, inexpensive means, which are neat, durable, reliable, eificient in use, easy to launder, and wholly safe for the child.

Other objects and advantages of. the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds.

With the aforesaid objects in view, the invention consists in the novel combinations and arrangementsof parts. hereinafter described in their preferred embodiments, pointed. out in the subjoined claims, and. illustrated. on the. annexed drawing, wherein like parts are designated by the same reference characters throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is aplan View of a device embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a bottom plan view of a blanket or the like according to the invention;

Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation showing a combined crib and bed covering embodying the invention and illustrating the mobility of the bed covering, with a part broken away.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a hook that siidingly interengages the bed covering and the crib.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a modified hook, with adjoining parts shown in dot-dash lines.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary plan view of a modified bed covering.

The advantages of the invention as here outlined are best realized when all of its features and in'strumentalities are combined in one and the same structure, but, useful devices may be produced embodying less than the whole.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that the same may be incorporated in several different constructions. The accompanying drawing. therefore, is submitted merely as showing the pre ferred exemplification of the invention.

Referring in detail to the drawing, !0 denotes a device embodying the. invention. The same may include a bed covering, such as a. blanket, quilt, or the like, and may comprise a main central section II and side sections or flaps l2, Both of the latter may be identical. and may be of the same or different material than the main section II. Stretched. along. opposite marginal edges of the main section are tapes l3, whereby a series of loops It are reenforcingly secured to the underside of said main: section. In asimi'larmanner loops 15 may be connected to the side or flap sections H. The mode of securement. shown is merely illustrative and the loops l4, 15- may be alike and may consist of cord; ribbon, braid or other suitable, preferably washable material.

Interconnecting the members H and 12:, as. shown in Fig. 1 is a series of releasable hooks. or openable rings l'l whichv may consist of metal, wood, plastic or composition materials, which are preferably made of relatively rigid: material for easy sliding engagement with the vertical bars: or standards of a crib as hereinafter described, to thus constitute the device Ill 2. floating bed covering. Thus the rings l7, schematically shown in Fig. 1, are specifically indicated at 18 in Fig. 5, wherein the ring halves H are pivot-. ally interconnected at. 20 with their endsaat 2t snapped into abutment with each lotherin' the manner of the rings used in a loose leaf binder.

If metallic rings such as I8 are unobtainable, rings of plastic or fibrous or composition material may be used as shown at 22 in Fig. 6. The latter may be of one piece construction and possess a limited degree of resilience, but they have the advantage of affording inexpensive multicolor effects which may pleasingly contrast or blend with the bed covering. Desirably each hook 22 may have small and large hook portions 23, 24, respectively, the latter-being laterally open as at 25, to receive loops I4, I5 and crib uprights or standards as hereinafter set forth. Thus the hook portion 23 receives the loops and the hook portion 24 receives the standards, as shown in dot-dash lines.

It will be seen that the device I is a simple, compact structure, and that it is inexpensive to produce, and is neat in appearance. The rings I! can be easily removed for individual replacement or laundering of parts. For instance, the main section I I may have to be washed or cleaned more often than the flap sections I2, and such a result is easily accomplished by means of the detachable devices I'I.

In Figs. 3 and 4 is shown a device embodying the invention. The same may include a crib 26, having head and foot boards 21, 28 respectively, a bottom support 29 and side walls 30. The latter may be conventional, each having upper and lower rails 3| and vertical rods or standards spaced therealong and connected thereto. The connecting devices I 'I are detachably engaged with selected standards 32, Fig. 3 illustrating the floating character of the mounting, for which reason a portion of a member I2 has been cut away. Any number of devices ll may be employed, to suit, but there need not be a. device H for each standard 32. Whereas the flap members I2 are shown disposed externally of the side Walls 30 of the crib, they may also be internally positioned.

- The advantages of the invention will now be described.- With the bed covering II mounted on the crib as shown, a child is amply covered, and it may twist and turn and partially raise itself or even sit up without throwing oif thebed covering. The latter rises and falls with the movements or contortions of the child, the devices I! riding up .and down on the standards 32 with little or no friction. .Sllch frictionless motion is possible bekept in a happy state of mind, and can exercise its muscles. The mother is thus relieved from the need for carrying the child too often in her arms. Should the child slide wholly under the bed covering,:it cannot smother because the bed covering is raised and there is ample space between the main section II and th side sections I2. The latter are preferably disposed outside of the crib to afiord a neat and attractive drape eifect for the sides of the crib, and also to break the force of any wind or draft which might enter below the main section I I. Furthermore, the flap sections I2 serve as a weight, which is desirably small, to tend to hold down the main section II. Thus safety is combined with utility and neatness.

In using the device I8, the same is merely passed through loops I4, I and snapped around a standard 32, the ring being substantially larger than the latter. In using the device 22, the

loops I4, I5 are engaged therein and then the device is sprung to expand the opening 25 to freely received a standard 32. But as the latter cannot enter the hook portion 23, the hook can- 5 not turn so that accidental release of the loops through the opening 25 is prevented.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modification 33 like that at I0 except that the loops I4, I5 of the main and side sections Ila, [2a are interchanged by a round upholstery cord 34 or the like which is passed through successive pairs of loops, on the outside of the standards 32, the ends of the cord being removably looped around large buttons 35 on the main section. The hard, round cord 34 will easily slide along the standards, and the need for hook devices is eliminated. IA further advantage is that any unusual pull caused by the child at one end of the covering is relieved by yielding of the other end portion of the covering, 2 particularly as the main section IIa is generally wider than the crib. The tension tends to even out so that the bed covering lies uniformly even. I claim: l. A device including a bed covering for a childs 'crib including a main section having spaced loops connected to opposite sides thereof, a crib having a series of upright standards at each side thereof, and means detachably connected to the loops whereby the latter are secured to the upright standards of the crib, said means being slidable along said standards whereby the said main section is adapted to rise and fall with the movement of the childs body, said means including a hook having a small hook portion for engaging a loop and a large hook portion for receiving a standard, the hook having only one opening located only in said large portion which is adapted to be sprung to receive the standard, the small hook portion being too small to receive the latter.

2. A device including a bed covering for a childs crib including a main section having spaced loops connected to opposite sides thereof, a crib having a series of upright standards at each side thereof, and means detachably connected to the loops whereby the latter are secured to the upright standards of the crib, said means being slidable along said standards whereby the said main section is adapted to rise and fall with the movement of the childs body, said means including a cord passing through said loops and being detachably connected at its ends to said main section.

3. A device including a cover for a childs crib having a main section, separate side sections along opposite edges of the main section and being spaced therefrom, adjacent edge portions of the sections having openings, and means detachably engaging in adjacent openings to interconnect the main section with the side sections, a childs crib having a series of vertical standards at each side thereof, said means being loosely engaged with said standards to be capable of freely slidingly engaging around said vertical standards of the crib whereby said sections constitute a bed covering that floats up and down in whole or in part with the movements of a childs body, the side seccrib, said means having parts affording openings tions depending along said standard on the out tioned means, and the latter cooperating with the cover to permit the cover to float up and down with the movement of the childs body.

5. A cover according to claim 4, wherein the first mentioned means includes rigid hook means afiording said parts for directly individually engaging around the standards.

MARTIN SIEGELBAUM. 

